tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post3563333223797158343..comments2019-05-25T08:41:55.752-07:00Comments on By Ken Levine: Friday QuestionsBy Ken Levinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comBlogger45125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-56232581020198124992018-03-18T19:57:51.483-07:002018-03-18T19:57:51.483-07:00Thanks for the opportunity to discuss this. I&#39...Thanks for the opportunity to discuss this. I&#39;m watching parts of Cheers again. Definitely an iconic show. The dialog is superb. Sam and Diane&#39;s parting is not necessarily natural to their characters and the evolving relationship. In addition, Diane could have been a writer anywhere in the world and maybe travel to LA periodically. Parting in Season 5 was even less logical because she could have married Sam and written her book. We see that he cares about her achieving her dreams If we look at the dream sequence in season 5, we see that their life together could have worked. The only thing that was missing in the dream sequence was the possibility Diane had finished a book.<br /><br />It would have been easy to bring them together at the end and reconciling both their desires, if the writers had perceived that trajectory. This is not Casablanca or Roman Holiday. The ending did not have to resolve a dichotomy as a split to be believable. I still feel bad about the end of the show. I identified with the dynamic in that relationship and for in my case it didn&#39;t work, but seeing a positive resolution on Cheers would have been fulfilling and comforting just like the end of My Fair Lady.Jini Mnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-41326442524129151232018-01-24T14:37:15.096-08:002018-01-24T14:37:15.096-08:00The real reason people watched &quot;CHEERS&quot; ...The real reason people watched &quot;CHEERS&quot; was to see if Sam and Diane could take their love to another level? The Producers played a trick on us thinking Diane and Sam would get married. This is almost the same thing with &quot;SMALLVILLE&quot; TV SHOW. We thought we would see Tom Welling in the superman suit and we were let down in the very end! This is part of Hollywood who cares about making money and not about us the people and our feelings! Steven Dunetzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07658239207221709822noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-88966912078308779822018-01-24T11:08:21.873-08:002018-01-24T11:08:21.873-08:00The right answer should be, if Diane Chambers coul...The right answer should be, if Diane Chambers could decide only to move to Boston and Sam Malone could stay with his bar. If Diane loved him so much that would be the right move to get married.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07658239207221709822noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-20542671663920032702017-04-19T12:34:12.849-07:002017-04-19T12:34:12.849-07:00Sam &amp; Diane Fan-Forever
When I first started ...Sam &amp; Diane Fan-Forever<br /><br />When I first started watching CHEERS back in 1982,(Or was it &#39;83), I was thirteen years old. Sam and Diane were the first real &quot;couple&quot; I actually paid attention to on a sitcom. They held my interest, and most of the episodes had me on the edge of my seat. I grew to care about these two. When Shelley Long was leaving, I was really heartbroken by the ending. &quot;I Do Adieu&quot; was the last episode for Diane.<br />When Rebecca came in, I still continued to watch CHEERS, but life started to change for me. I finished High School and then went to college. CHEERS was still on, but I was watching off and on. Despite, a few good seasons with Kristy Alley, there was something missing. I was happy with all the secondary characters and grew to love them more. But it felt a little...dimmed. <br />When I graduated College, the last episode of CHEERS aired and Diane was back, ironically after I broke up with my college sweetheart, 1993.<br />&quot;Sorry, we&#39;re closed.&quot;--Became a motto for me.<br /><br />Despite Sam and Diane&#39;s flaws, I felt that Sam and Diane balanced each other out.<br />No relationship is perfect. <br /><br />Recently(I&#39;m 46 now,still not married, like Sam.LOL!), I started watching CHEERS again the past few months.(2017).<br />Seasons 1-5 still hold a special place in my heart. I can still watch those episodes over and over again. They haven&#39;t lost their quality.<br />I have a hard time watching the Rebecca era, even though I enjoyed all the other stuff that went on with Woody, Frasier, Carla, Norm and Cliff.<br /><br />So yeah, Sam and Diane were robbed. Bittersweet ending.<br />Sam and Diane Forever.<br /><br /><br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-66495993829821996142016-07-05T03:49:16.127-07:002016-07-05T03:49:16.127-07:00Oy! It&#39;s 2:30 am west coast day after 4th of J...Oy! It&#39;s 2:30 am west coast day after 4th of July and &quot;one for the road&quot; played on Hallmark Channel. No offense:I hated the ending, yet I respect your reasoning. The Long Goodbye had Sam&#39;s fantasy of being married to Diane, and living a life till they were old and gray in the house they never bought. That to me, gave closure to their love story. However, once Glen and Les wrote Shelley in for &quot;one for the road&quot; the entire episode felt different, not the chemistry between Ted and Shelley, but the dialogue. It felt personal, cruel. There wasn&#39;t any growth to Sam &amp; Diane and felt empty compared to how Diane was written in S1-3, and how Long Goodbye ended, &quot;I&#39;ll be back in six months.&quot; &quot;Have a good life.&quot; That was poignant. The second was just mean and felt like a gimmick. Then Sam showed up on Frasier saying, &quot;Rebecca&#39;s divorced and now spends time at the bar, (albeit drinking) woody was no longer a councilman and at the bar, Carla still at the bar, Norm&#39;s still at the bar,&quot; etc. Sam still hadn&#39;t matured. Frasier did. After ten-14 years analyzing his life and others, he finally listened to himself and knew what he wanted. In fairness, and regards to Frasier, the three acts were complete. The final episode gave closure, except IMO Frasier should&#39;ve went back to Boston and to Lilith instead of flying to Chicago with Laura Linney (I love her don&#39;t get me wrong). I just believe in the power of full circle arcs. It should never get personal with writers because audience senses the distance---always. Sam&amp;Diane should&#39;ve ended up together and Glen and Les should&#39;ve given the audience their payoff. Sam could&#39;ve got on a plane after He said, &quot;I&#39;m sorry we&#39;re closed,&quot; and flew to California to be with Diane (like Frasier flew to Chicago) open ended building story in either direction. <br />Just my two cents. When MASH ended---audience got closure and a heartfelt goodbye written by Honeycutt. Glen and Les didn&#39;t do that. The Long Goodbye was the final episode of Cheers, at least for me.Shelley, despite her difficult moments,, helped the writing team create an iconic character. <br />Thank you for your blog, I&#39;m always reading and learning (less than 2 yrs to go in film school).Tracy Downeyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05381187107297126560noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-20836082704208321292016-04-28T16:54:39.570-07:002016-04-28T16:54:39.570-07:00I didn&#39;t hate the ending, but I sort of hated ...I didn&#39;t hate the ending, but I sort of hated the drunken after show.Chris Muirhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08341157122141290094noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-33502741024103014942016-04-28T11:45:29.280-07:002016-04-28T11:45:29.280-07:00I think the final six seasons of CHEERS was about ...I think the final six seasons of CHEERS was about Sam learning that the bar was his &quot;true love.&quot; When the series began, he hadn&#39;t accepted this -- trying to resuscitate his faded fame as a sports star. Then he tried to be in a serious relationship with Diane, which failed. Objectively speaking, the Sam/Diane relationship was poisonous for both parties: It briefly cost Sam his sobriety and his bar. And it was an emotional and professional distraction for Diane. At *no point* during the first five seasons were Sam and Diane ever depicted as a stable relationship, but arguably a form of personal addiction. A &quot;happy ending&quot; for the two in the finale would have been a cheat.Stephen Robinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03670422634319094941noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-24282047547196423712016-04-26T08:45:53.549-07:002016-04-26T08:45:53.549-07:00I didn&#39;t hate the Cheers ending. In the end, t...I didn&#39;t hate the Cheers ending. In the end, the bar and the people in it was Sam&#39;s true love.<br />The only way Sam and Diane works is if Diane returns to Cheers, and why would a successful &quot;CableAce Award Winner&quot; go back to her old life? I thought it was a good slice of real life, how people change.Barry Gilpinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15322650317014382766noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-22495162496988199412016-04-25T17:53:33.262-07:002016-04-25T17:53:33.262-07:00To Benson:
What a charming idea! Shelley Long an...To Benson:<br /><br />What a charming idea! Shelley Long and Ted Danson would be great in those roles. And obviously Sam and Diane fans do indeed need some closure :)Diane D.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-8364214401685549892016-04-25T13:16:16.344-07:002016-04-25T13:16:16.344-07:00I don&#39;t remember where I read it, but I read r...I don&#39;t remember where I read it, but I read right after the finale aired that the ending was in keeping with the basic premise that no one won on Cheers. None of the characters &quot;won&quot;. Sam and Diane getting married would have been a win.<br /><br />And yes, Sam and Diane was pure magic. Just look at the reaction here after 34 years.<br /><br />And this idea popped in my head, based on Blogward&#39;s question. <br /><br />Wouldn&#39;t it be fun to see an American version of Judi Dench&#39;s As Time Goes By, with Ted Danson and Shelley Long as Lionel and Jean? If nothing else, it would give the Sam and Diane fans some closure. bensonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-67898698059690842292016-04-25T07:38:02.331-07:002016-04-25T07:38:02.331-07:00That final episode of CHEERS still makes me angry ...That final episode of CHEERS still makes me angry when I see it. Not letting Sam and Diane have their happy ending together was a slap in the face to those of us who had spent five years rooting for them, pulling for them, living through their ups and downs with them. We loyal fans deserved better. I still think the Charles brothers owe us an apology for that massive &quot;screw you&quot; they gave us.Katenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-36430859273388064422016-04-24T21:30:43.001-07:002016-04-24T21:30:43.001-07:00I am a late comer to the whole CHEERS thing in tha...I am a late comer to the whole CHEERS thing in that I watched it sporadically in my busy years but have come to enjoy it in my not so busy years. The fans were robbed of a satisfying ending. Shelley Long could have made several appearances prior to the finale that were non-threatening and funny and the show might have been able to play off of some of the material. I suspect egos were in play here. The finale did great justice, in my opinion, to only Shelley Long and Woody Harrelson.Rebecca was made to look pathetic, Sam too. Norm and Cliff portrayed as morons, Frasier as still obsessed. The rest? Almost sad figures.Not a good ending to this love story.mmryan314https://www.blogger.com/profile/03956737239500293977noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-32059872747880380862016-04-24T21:09:29.731-07:002016-04-24T21:09:29.731-07:00I like the way CHEERS ended. It just seemed right ...I like the way CHEERS ended. It just seemed right to me. For Sam and Diane to have ended up together living happily ever after just feels wrong. At least to me.Kylenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-70730693610788590622016-04-24T19:19:17.788-07:002016-04-24T19:19:17.788-07:00Cheers during the Sam and Diane era is more litera...Cheers during the Sam and Diane era is more literate, more witty, and has more heart. The first few years of the Kirstie Alley era were decent, but I didn&#39;t like how they dumbed down her character, and dumbed down Sam.<br /><br />Dawson and Long were magic together. I felt that failing to reunite Sam and Diane in the finale violated the premise of the show (remember the flash-forward scene in Long&#39;s final episode?) It kind of wrecked the show for me - they went to all the trouble to get Shelley Long back, but they didn&#39;t craft a decent ending for Sam and Diane.Mikenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-57539074934801043382016-04-24T14:20:48.472-07:002016-04-24T14:20:48.472-07:00I wouldn&#39;t lynch you, Joseph; I just think you...I wouldn&#39;t lynch you, Joseph; I just think you&#39;re wrong. In season 5 after the court scene when they became engaged, there was never another episode when they even considered breaking up. Issues popped up, of course, but they dealt with them in a much more mature way than they ever had before. The writers seemed to purposely give that message to the fans. Think of the hilarious scene in &quot;One Last Fling&quot; when Diane storms out of the bar, but the next day they talk about it like two mature people and resolve it. That &quot;enormous, undeniable attraction&quot; they had comes from more than just chemistry. Despite their differences, they loved and admired each other. They should have ended up together. Diane D.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-80325624649523810592016-04-24T13:13:45.469-07:002016-04-24T13:13:45.469-07:00The first five years was Hall of Fame great. The r...The first five years was Hall of Fame great. The rest was fine but not special.john brownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14305919416597724136noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-48020841662406475632016-04-24T11:43:11.545-07:002016-04-24T11:43:11.545-07:00I may be putting myself at risk of getting lynched...I may be putting myself at risk of getting lynched here, but I thought the way CHEERS ended, with Sam and Diane realizing that they were never going to work, was entirely consistent with the way the characters and their relationship had been developed. The thing about Sam and Diane is that, despite their enormous, undeniable attraction to each other, they never really clicked in the way couples need to click to work, long-term. Just because two people are drawn to each other doesn&#39;t mean they&#39;re destined to be able to build a workable commitment to each other. Yeah, Sam and Diane were attracted to each other from the beginning. Yeah, they probably even loved each other. But that doesn&#39;t mean that marriage wouldn&#39;t have been a disaster for both of them, and I think it showed an enormous amount of maturity on the part of both characters that they realized that before they made a big mistake. Honestly, the way we had seen their relationship progress over five years, with its constant ups and downs, is it all realistic to think anything would have changed after they married? No, it wasn&#39;t the &quot;fairy tale&quot; ending, but I think it was the best, most appropriate, most realistic ending for these two.Josephnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-64028362963820016092016-04-24T04:13:38.849-07:002016-04-24T04:13:38.849-07:00All this talk of Sam and Diane makes me think of a...All this talk of Sam and Diane makes me think of another Friday Question:<br /><br />What did the writers make of Sam and Diane&#39;s relationship? Did you ever have any faith in it? Or did you all agree it was a train wreck waiting to happen? Having to write it, I&#39;m sure you all must have analysed it to death :)Johnny Walkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13302545167970532080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-68308403164763006762016-04-23T19:32:56.931-07:002016-04-23T19:32:56.931-07:00My Cheers is the Diane era. Hilarious as it was, t...My Cheers is the Diane era. Hilarious as it was, the show also ran deep those first five years. Sam and Diane were its heart and soul, respectively. I enjoyed the Rebecca years, but as someone above said, the re-watchabilty is very low to nonexistent for me. It&#39;s a different show. I also have to agree with everyone who was let down by the Sam/Diane wrap-up. It was magic seeing Shelley back in the bar, and Sam and Diane still had it in spades, but then there was that ending. I remember reading something about Glen and Les Charles not wanting to tie things up too neatly, but real life is messy and miserable enough. Sam and Diane should&#39;ve finally won one for the rest of us. I absolutely hated that Sam ended up with the damn bar while everyone else went home to their loved ones. Huge wtf. It really is the one big disappointment I have with the series.Annnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-50356430453465983852016-04-23T12:47:20.854-07:002016-04-23T12:47:20.854-07:00Friday question: Actors on a series tend to get ve...Friday question: Actors on a series tend to get very protective of their characters. When is this helpful, and when is it counter-productive? Ted O'Harahttps://tedohara.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-84671411811092118722016-04-23T00:09:27.728-07:002016-04-23T00:09:27.728-07:00Hal: ABC runs THE TEN COMMANDMENTS at Easter becau...Hal: ABC runs THE TEN COMMANDMENTS at Easter because, as John Kasich explained, Jesus was there helping Moses free the Jews.cadavranoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-91420180786866145452016-04-22T22:12:59.041-07:002016-04-22T22:12:59.041-07:00Amy B. Email me at bossjock@dslextreme.com and I&...Amy B. Email me at bossjock@dslextreme.com and I&#39;ll fill you in on all the details. Thanks for your interest in A OR B? Ken Levinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-17398564258139503372016-04-22T21:32:12.790-07:002016-04-22T21:32:12.790-07:00I don&#39;t know if this is the correct place for ...I don&#39;t know if this is the correct place for this but here goes: a friend of mine is the artistic director of a small theatre company in Chicago. He is interested in seeing your script for A or B?. He&#39;d like to know how much the rights are and all the details you would be willing to provide. He just wants to know if it&#39;s a fit for his company.Amy Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04707496521722009569noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-82514689227623950212016-04-22T18:34:46.543-07:002016-04-22T18:34:46.543-07:00Aniston has been the recipient of so much Time War...Aniston has been the recipient of so much Time Warner corporate logrolling. She may be a nice person in real life, but I&#39;very had it to here with all the talk about her personal life. Just act and be done with it.VP81955https://www.blogger.com/profile/11792390726196611188noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-61393607323554877732016-04-22T18:15:33.811-07:002016-04-22T18:15:33.811-07:00I agree with Diane D. I think the Charles Brothers...I agree with Diane D. I think the Charles Brothers, as much as I admire them, dropped the ball. Cheers fans who happen to love Sam and Diane together got the cold shoulder, but I can&#39;t figure out why. The final scene could have taken place the night before Sam and Diane&#39;s wedding, and nothing needed to change. Catnoreply@blogger.com